About Anna

Welcome to the Association of National Numbering Agencies.

If you have invested in stocks, bonds or investment funds, you are already familiar with our work. We are the numbering agencies around the world that assign a unique identification code to each new security as it is issued.

Our proudest achievement is the global adoption of a common standard for identifying securities, the ISIN (International Securities Identification Number) according to ISO Standard 6166. Securities from more than 120 nations are identified by ISINs. No matter where a security was first issued, its ISIN enables it to be recognized and traded between buyers and sellers virtually anywhere in the world.

ANNA is committed to the use of standard identifiers to make the financial world a more efficient, safer and more stable environment for investors and the financial institutions that serve them.

News

In an increasingly regulated financial world, identifiers are more important than ever.

London, UK – The Derivatives Services Bureau, the global utility for creation of International Securities Identification Numbers (ISINs) for over-the-counter derivatives, has finalized fees for the current user contracts running … read more

Service Provides Downloadable Codes and Reference Data Brussels, Belgium – The Association of National Numbering Agencies today announced the availability of its ANNA ISIN Lookup Service, which enables any user to … read more

Contract Submissions Suggest Changing Profile of DSB User Base London, UK — The Derivatives Service Bureau (DSB) reports today on progress in new contracts received for fee-based services. These include … read more

Who is anna?

ANNA’s members are agencies that are part of financial banks, exchanges, depositories and regulatory agencies. But its people are senior experts from the national numbering agencies who contribute their time and expertise to help new numbering agencies and to keep the ISIN at the cutting edge of financial industry evolution. Read more.

The ISIN – a global standard

Where is the ISIN?

The ISIN is a true global success story. More than 120 countries are assigning ISINs now, either through their own numbering agencies or with the assistance of experienced ANNA members.

Originally envisioned as special-purpose identifier for cross-boarder trading, the ISIN was initially issued in tandem with the local securities identifier. Today, in most major markets, the logical efficiency of a single global standard has been recognized and the ISIN is the only instrument identifier issued by the numbering agencies.

Countries Issuing ISINs

The World of Identifiers

ISO standards for financial information createa common language of machines-readable codes that support accuracy, efficiency and mutual trust among global markets.

Though the ISIN was the first standard global identifier and continues to be central to all capital markets operations, the family has grown as needs were identified. Today, the group of ISO-standard identifiers are a “common language” understood all over the world, embedded into processes and software, and required in regulatory reporting.

Click here to learn how these standards are developed and how they work together.

Standardisation

ISIN (ISO 6166)

International Securities Identification Number

The ISIN is the core identifier of securities transactions and settlement. Read more.

CFI (ISO 10962)

Classification of Financial Instruments

For each ISIN, the CFI is a detailed description of the type of instrument. Read more.

MIC (ISO 10383)

Market Identification Code

For each ISIN, associated MICs show where the instrument is traded. Read more.

The Association of National Numbering Agencies (ANNA) confirms that only official National Numbering Agencies (NNAs) can issue valid ISINs (International Securities Identification Numbers). The majority of NNAs do not charge for ISIN allocation and fees do not apply for maintenance/renewal of allocated ISINs. In the few instances where fees are charged for ISIN allocation, this is on a cost-recovery basis only, in accordance with ISO 6166 ISIN Registration Authority obligations. The same applies for CFI (Classification of Financial Instruments) according to ISO 10962 and FISN (Financial Instrument Short Name) according to ISO 18774.

ANNA and NNAs have no dealings or affiliation with any third party offering commercial services for assisting to obtain or maintain ISINs. Similarly, any threats from these organizations to purge a valid ISIN from certain systems if “maintenance fees” or other monies are not paid should be viewed with scepticism. To avoid incurring unnecessary costs, we strongly recommend requesting your ISIN, CFI, and FISN only from an official NNA. The process is very straightforward.

For any assistance in contacting the responsible NNA for your request please contact us directly at secretariat@anna-web.org. Alternatively, contact the NNA responsible for your market to assist with your ISIN request.